LBT Achieves Breakthrough with Adaptive Optics

New Technology Brings Space Telescope Image Quality Down to Earth,
Offering Astronomical Image Clarity Never Seen Before

June 14, 2010

(Tucson, Ariz.) -- The next generation of adaptive
optics has arrived at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) in Arizona, providing
astronomers with a new level of image sharpness never before seen. Developed in a
collaboration between Italy's Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) and the
University of Arizona's Steward Observatory. Until relatively recently, ground-based
telescopes had to live with wavefront distortion caused by the Earth's atmosphere that
significantly blurred the images of distant objects (this is why stars appear to
twinkle to the human eye). While there have been advancements in adaptive optics
technology to correct atmospheric blurring, the LBT's innovative system truly takes
this concept to a whole new level.

Supplementary Images:

Real-time movie showing the effect of adaptive optics on the LBT. The first portion
shows the blurring and motion of the image induced by the turbulent atmosphere. The
second portion shows the ability of the adaptive optics system to correct the blur and
reduce the image motion.

Slow motion movie showing the transition from atmospheric blurring to
correction by the LBT adaptive optics system. The higher resolution easily separates
the two previously blended star images, and the third more distant object can be
detected above the background because its light is also more concentrated.

Side view of the Adaptive Optics system during lab testing. The deformable reflecting
surface of the 91-cm concave mirror is visible, along with some of the 672 circuit
cards that control the magnetic forces shaping the surface
(JPEG 1700x1133 173kB).

Arcetri Observatory astronomers examine the wavefront sensing unit that records the
starlight image 1000 times per second to compute and correct the distortion from the
turbulent atmosphere above the telescope.
(JPEG 1700x1133 229kB).